Helping those at risk

The settlement of a lawsuit between the city of Winchester and the Shenandoah Area Agency on Aging is a welcome development for both parties and senior citizens throughout the Northern Shenandoah Valley. The statements from both sides are hopeful signs that they can move beyond this breach with better communication and work together for the people who depend on the nonprofit's services.

In the settlement, the city will receive $42,000, far less than the $250,000 in damages and another $250,000 in punitive damages it had sought in the dispute over construction costs at the Active Living and Recreation Center in Jim Barnett Park. This indicates that city officials had come to recognize the public relations problem they brought upon themselves through a misguided lawsuit that could have done real damage to Meals on Wheels and the agency's other programs. That was on top of cuts in contributions to other area charities and community programs driven by budget realities.

That said, the City Council has made a real effort to preserve some critical services and social programs that could easily have ended up on the chopping block in these tight times for tax dollars. The city has expressed strong support for the Douglas Community Learning Center, housed in a historic school building that today is used by such organizations as Northern Shenandoah Valley Adult Education and the Boys and Girls Club. The council is also working to resolve a number of safety and security issues that had cast doubt on the survival of Edge Hill, a substance abuse recovery center on Cork Street.

Despite the difficult budget picture, the council deserves credit for trying to maintain important services for disadvantaged members of the community most at risk in a down economy.